Commonwealth leaders call for inclusive growth

Commonwealth leaders on Sunday warned that rising inequality at both international and national levels has implications for poverty reduction and future growth potentials of member states, although accelerating growth has become central to policy efforts globally. The leaders agreed that achieving growth with equity and inclusivity must be one of the main policy priorities for the Commonwealth, according to the Colombo Declaration on Sustainable, Inclusive and Equitable Development, one of the key documents adopted at the end of the three-day Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The leaders reaffirmed the right to development for all individuals, and vowed to eliminate disparities and focus on making growth more inclusive for all, including for vulnerable groups, women, youth and the disabled. They noted that in the context of a rapidly-changing global environment, achieving growth with equity and promoting sustainable development will require intensified efforts at both the national and international levels. They recognized that improving access to productive employment is a critical element to achieve equitable growth, and improvements in employability are largely linked to access to quality education, skills development, better health care, and equitable access to resources. "We agree to take concerted efforts to create productive employment with equitable access to all, to achieve inclusive growth," the declaration says. The leaders called for a strong and effective partnership for development, and agreed to explore the unrealized potential for collaboration within the Commonwealth. They promised to facilitate the efforts of member states towards equitable distribution of benefit and to achieve better living standards and prosperity for all. They also pledged to work together to address poverty, food security, climate change mitigation and adaption, inequalities in trade, predictable and adequate finances, investments, knowledge and technology transfers, as well as in increasing voices in the global economic, trade and financial order to achieve growth with equity. The CHOGM, the most important meeting of the 53-member bloc, closed Sunday in Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka. It was the first time an Asian country hosted the summit in 24 years.